Is Phil Liggett God?

///Is Phil Liggett God?

Is Phil Liggett God?

Phil The Almighty.

(A TOUR DE FRANCE RE-POST)

Is it possible that Phil Liggett is in fact, God?

Phil sees all and knows all (especially during the cycling season)

His is the voice of cycling, the races are his sermons, the booth is his pulpit.

He is forgiving and gentle yet stern when the First Commandment of Cycling is broken: thou shalt not dope.

He has a huge following. Maybe not like the Catholic church but close. He does the Tour of Italy, France and Spain and all the big races. He watches over everyone on two wheels.

He’s written a book. Not exactly the bible but quoted word for word by true cycling fans. His Liggett-isms are passed from fan to fan.

He has reported on ten Olympics. He has come down off that mountain 10 times. You see the mount Olympus parallel here?

He has a game farm in South Africa and as a boy wanted to be a zoologist. When the great flood comes again, just like Noah, Phil will build an ark and load the animals. He is a savior.

His voice is God-like.

His pronouncements are rich with religious imagery: “He climbs like an angel.” and “There’s no reason to rush into hell.” Examine, if you will, a classic Ligget line such as “He’s reaching deep into his suitcase of courage.” The suitcase is clearly a reference to the cross and “digging in” a metaphor for the faith we must all find inside ourselves.

And finally, any spell check program will tell you that Liggett is a misspelled word. The suggested correction? The word “Light.” I rest my case.

By |2019-02-03T16:29:12-08:00June 27th, 2010|Tour de France|9 Comments

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9 Comments

  1. Johnny masury June 27, 2010 at 3:46 am - Reply

    "The church of Phil" let's start a chapter

  2. LeGimpe June 27, 2010 at 7:41 am - Reply

    What? Depends on who is doing the doping!

  3. Henkio June 28, 2010 at 4:32 am - Reply

    I guess you're right. We used to have Jean Nelissen who would know every bar-tabac and restaurant along the route of every race, knew where Charly Gaul's grandmother got her strudel, but was basically clueless about current events.

    Cycling is sentiment, you're right about that.

    Packed your bags yet?

    Big chance Holland will be in a small depression after Brazil knocks us out of the football world cup next friday, but if we're still in prepare for some crazy orange enthusiasm.

  4. Henkio June 28, 2010 at 8:31 am - Reply

    Thank God I speak Dutch and don’t have to listen to this clown. I’ve downloaded a lot of old races with his commentary and it’s truly horrible.
    If it’s live you can be almost certain he doesn”t have a clue about what’s going on.

    There are always complaints about the Belgian guys and the Dutch commentators are hardly bearable , but when I watch those old Ligget races I’m thankful I don’t have to put up with that.

    Really, you’re missing and being informed falsely about a lot of what is going on and the guys who are doing it if you trust on this guy.

    • walshworld June 28, 2010 at 9:03 am - Reply

      Hey Henkio, I didn’t exactly say Phil is my personal expert. He’s an old guy. Besides you know my posts always have some humor in them. The fact is, Phil is comfort food. It’s not what he says, it’s how he sounds. Most of us Americans only know the voice of Phil, it’s habit and no race seems real without his voice over top.

  5. Max June 28, 2010 at 3:22 pm - Reply

    Answer: NO.

    His commentary is seriously lacking in depth. Maybe its dumbed down. Eitehr way. Liggett is a tool.

  6. Muffinman July 10, 2010 at 12:38 pm - Reply

    Easy on Phil guys !! I have ridden about 4000kms with Phil over the past 11 years, and gotten to know him reasonably well on the bike, and over a meal or two as well. Phil is as genuine a person as you could meet, and he does have a very, very good knowledge of cycling. If you knew how Paul and Phil put their commentary together you might be a little more tolerant. It is not an easy exercise.

    Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but Paul and Phil don't make too many.I recall a Protour commentator incorrectly calling a Robbie McEwen win when it as actually Andre Greipel, twice Robbie's size and riding for a different team. Phil got it right.

    Phil is anti doping. and he told me, that he told Lance Armstrong, that if he ever believed Armstrong was doping he would quit the sport immediately.

    He is no God, but, he is actually a nicer bloke when you get to know him, than the one you see and hear on TV.

  7. Shaun February 1, 2011 at 7:34 pm - Reply

    I once heard Phill Ligget call LL Sanchez a bad descender and he thinks the TOC is bigger than the Giro. He is terrible, senile old commentator who has his ass so far up Lance's ass he has forgotten about whatever he did once know about the sport of cycling

    • TwistedSpoke February 2, 2011 at 9:10 am - Reply

      Shaun, he's a nice old guy and pretty much everybody in cycling had their nose up Lance's ass. Matt

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